American Freak: A Tale of the Un-Men 3
"Blue Skies of Purgatory" is the story title to the third issue of the comic book limited series American Freak: A Tale of the Un-Men, which was published by DC Comics under their Vertigo imprint. The story was written by Dave Louapre with interior artwork by Vince Locke, who also inked the series. The cover illustration was composed by photographer Gaz with design elements created by Richard Bruning. The issue was colored by Chris Chuckry of Digital Chameleon and lettered by Clem Robins. It was edited by Karen Berger and Alisa Kwitney with Shelly Roeberg as assistant editor. This issue shipped with an April, 1994 cover date and carried a cover price of $1.95 per copy (US). Synopsis Damien Kane stows away on a freighter with Crassus bound for Romania. He doesn't trust Crassus' true motivations, and his position becomes even more difficult as his body continues to regress in form. In Romania, Alexiev Gogol's Un-Men live in a camp on the outskirts of the castle. His henchman Lupo makes sure that they continue to do their master's work and takes great pleasure in tormenting the "freaks". Even amongst themselves, the Un-Men find ways of antagonizing each other. Daedalus enjoys taunting Brontes, and the telepathic woman Scylla usually has to mediate their disputes. As they return to the castle, Scylla receives psychic impressions from Crassus. She knows that he has returned, but not with Arcane (as he had set out to do), but rather with another Un-Man. On the other side of the country, Damien and Crassus arrive in Romania. They hop off a boxcar and find shelter in a nearby cave. Damien falls asleep and dreams of a normal life. When he awakens, he finds that Crassus has brought him to Scylla's camp in the middle of the night. Lupo comes into the tent and finds Damien. Observing the mutations on Damien's feet and hands, he knows that his master will be only too happy to add him to his menagerie. He brings Damien to the castle. Scylla meanwhile, meets back up with Crassus in the bowels of the castle. She tells him that Gogol now has Damien. They both reflect upon a prophecy circulated amongst the Un-Men that a deliverer shall come to them, not from the world of the Un-Men themselves, but from the world of man. They both agree that Damien is the deliverer. Gogol personally inspects Damien and announces that he will be a hit at his next big party. He has Lupo bring him to a dungeon chamber where he is secured to a wall. That evening, Crassus sneaks into the cell to speak with Damien. Damien is angry and believes that Crassus has betrayed him. Crassus tells him that Damien's destiny is to "deliver us from this nightmare". Appearances Featured characters * Damien Kane Supporting characters * David Manguy * Crassus * Scylla Antagonists * Alexiev Gogol * Colonel Gray * Lupo Minor characters * Doctor Hutcheson * Abel * Brontes * Daedalus * Eve * Four Arms * Lassies * Unnamed female socialite * Unnamed male socialite Organizations * None Races * Dogs * Humans * Un-Men :* First generation Un-Men Locations * Louisiana :* New Orleans * Romania :* Transylvania Items * None Vehicles * None Powers * Telepathy Notes & Trivia * The cover model for this issue is Kevin Landwaehr. * The tagline for this issue is "Prisoner of DNA". * This issue includes a quote by Flannery O'Connor from "Good Country People". * Lassies is a two-headed Collie named after the dog featured in the eponymous Lassie television, movie and radio projects. * First full appearance of Colonel Gray. He made a behind-the-scenes appearance in issue #2. He appears next in ''American Freak: A Tale of the Un-Men'' #5. * First appearance of Lupo. He appears next in ''American Freak: A Tale of the Un-Men'' #4. Recommended Reading * Swamp Thing Vol 1 * Swamp Thing Vol 2 * Swamp Thing Vol 3 * Swamp Thing Vol 4 * Swamp Thing Vol 5 * Un-Men Vol 1 * Roots of the Swamp Thing Vol 1 * American Freak: A Tale of the Un-Men Vol 1 See also * 1990s * Un-Men * Un-Men characters * Un-Men appearances * Louisiana * New Orleans * Romania * Transylvania * Anton Arcane * Scientific experimentation External Links * * * * ---- Category:American Freak: A Tale of the Un-Men Vol 1 Category:1994 comic book issues Category:Karen Berger/Executive editor Category:Dave Louapre/Writer Category:Vince Locke/Penciler Category:Vince Locke/Inker Category:Chris Chuckry/Colorist Category:Digital Chameleon/Colorist Category:Clem Robins/Letterer Category:Shelly Roeberg/Assistant editor Category:Alisa Kwitney/Editor Category:Gaz/Photographer Category:Richard Bruning/Cover inker Category:Richard Bruning/Cover colorist Category:Comics with plot summaries